To keep the packets, he heats the packaging, rolls them into balls, and places them in storage containers
A father from Bristol who began gathering packets when his partner was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer has announced that he will be ending his hobby after twelve years.
Gary, 60, has amassed over 24,000 packets and states that his preferred flavor is the traditional Walker’s ready salted.
Mr Keys continued to collect after his partner, Joanne, passed away, but as his youngest child, Alisha, is leaving school this year, he has decided to halt his collection.
‘I believe abstaining from collecting them is really going to affect me,’ he said.
‘I might have to resume since it has become a habit. I think I'll involuntarily start saving the crisp packets.’
Gary, who is employed at the University of Hull, is widely recognized for his collection and mentions that his friends will save their packets to give to him.
‘Occasionally, I will pick up a good packet if it's on the ground.
‘I once picked something up, and a litter warden actually asked me if I had dropped it.
‘I had to inform him that I was collecting them – I could have been fined £100 for it.
‘But I urged him to review the CCTV to see me picking it up – the cameras never lie. I'm very adept at recycling.
‘Alisha takes a packet of crisps to school and then brings it home – but she might come home with more packets that her friends have given her.
‘So the message has been conveyed.’
The remarkable collection, which grows by an average of 279 packets per month, is stored in plastic containers after the packets have been grilled and rolled up.
Gary expresses his desire to transform his stash of packets into a water feature to support a cancer charity.
‘I am unable to lift the boxes – I would need to be the world’s strongest man. People always think that they will sink, but they actually float.
‘I want to do something with them for a cancer charity – like placing them in a fountain or something.
‘They are vibrant, so it would be effective.
‘I simply don't know what I'll do with them, but I could create a water feature.’
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